Taurus Quality?

I've responded to a couple of Taurus threads recently, and I was asked to start a new thread that would likely become a sticky....

My dislike of Taurus is no secret. Honestly, if someone GAVE me a new Taurus, I would not keep it . One only need look at many guns on the store shelves. The quality on many of them is horrendous. One only also need look on the various forums. A high percentage of them have problems straight out of the box, or on the first range trip.

I realize that human nature is to complain instead of praise... But, the % of complaints (on all the various gun forums) about Taurus against other brands of guns doesn't even compare. And the stories of dealing with their customer service are maddening. Sometimes they send guns back MULTIPLE times without doing ANYTHING. I've seen some threads go for 18 months, where a person goes thru the Taurus "experience" in getting their gun fixed. It's just ridiculous...

I didn't start saving Taurus threads until a few months ago - so, unfortunately, I don't have some of the more depressing stories I have read. But here are a few:

some are strong

i have owned 2 compact taurus pistols,pt 140 pro and a 740 slim,i have put over 300 through my pt 140 with different brands no failures,less than 100 in the slim different brands no failures,i have a friend with a 24/7 .40 cal with over 500 down the pipe with no problems,quality control mabye?some are made well

i have owned 2 compact taurus pistols,pt 140 pro and a 740 slim,i have put over 300 through my pt 140 with different brands no failures,less than 100 in the slim different brands no failures,i have a friend with a 24/7 .40 cal with over 500 down the pipe with no problems,quality control mabye?some are made well

Fair enough - but it's almost a roll of the dice, IMHO.... Whether or not you'll get a good one or not.

I personally won't take that chance, and would recommend spending a couple more bucks for something else. I'm not saying EVERY Taurus is bad. But they seem to have a lemon rate way up at the top of everyone else.

Fair enough - but it's almost a roll of the dice, IMHO.... Whether or not you'll get a good one or not.

I personally won't take that chance, and would recommend spending a couple more bucks for something else. I'm not saying EVERY Taurus is bad. But they seem to have a lemon rate way up at the top of everyone else.

I've owned four Taurus revolvers, over the years (still have one), and recently purchased a PT92AFS. I'll agree that the revolvers might not have quite the same "fit and finish" as a Smith, and the 92 doesn't have the same name marque as a Beretta (although I wouldn't turn my hand over for the difference between the two). For my money, they've all performed as well as far more expensive guns. It sounds to me as if someone might be a died-in-the-wool Ford fanatic who has a pretty narrow-minded hard-.. for Chevrolets in general.

I've owned four Taurus revolvers, over the years (still have one), and recently purchased a PT92AFS. I'll agree that the revolvers might not have quite the same "fit and finish" as a Smith, and the 92 doesn't have the same name marque as a Beretta (although I wouldn't turn my hand over for the difference between the two). For my money, they've all performed as well as far more expensive guns. It sounds to me as if someone might be a died-in-the-wool Ford fanatic who has a pretty narrow-minded hard-.. for Chevrolets in general.

It is all a matter of opinion, but I will say I did a lot of reading in lots of places prior to my purchase of a S&W M&P 9mm hand gun, and most places I checked out and most places I visited to read up, all had concerns about the Taurus hand guns. Enough that I would not buy one with all the other available products. I agree with shipwreck totally. But each should buy what they like........ For me, I am going with the odds when it comes to personal protection. Lots of good guns out there with all positive reviews. I will choose from them.

Taurus may be a roll of the dice,but knock on wood,I've had nothing but good
service from mine.None you mention are what I have.I have the .44 Tracker,
The Judge 6 1/2 " bbl.,and the Millinium Pro PT-111.Maybe when I rolled the
dice it was my night?I have had some dogs in other brands that I got rid
of.Some name brands.I will say however,that I am now a Ruger fan.
My last 3 buys have been Ruger.I really like those guns.bayhawk

An impressive if somewhat provacative post. It is rare that someone takes the trouble to document their message and your work is an example we all should follow when expressing a negative opinion. As I have said before, I think that Taurus stays afloat because they offer what people consider an "affordable" alternative to other brands. To be fair, you could say that they fill a niche by doing this. However for me...
1. I will continue to spend what I need to get firearms with a reputation for quality. The savings on a Taurus usually amounts to a few hundred dollars at most. My life is worth more than that.
2. My long time (over 20 years) gun dealer has told me that the Taurus semi autos are his #1 warranty pieces.
3. If the gun is not for self defense, reliability is not so critical so I see no problem if someone just "wants" a certain gun.
4. I have heard and read positive things about the Taurus hunting revolvers. I would still (and have) buy a Ruger or a Smith.
5. I purchased a Kel-Tec .32 with known quality issues. It broke. I tried to save a buck on a Charter .44 revolver. It broke. I bought a Sig Mosquito trusting the Sig name. It sucked royally. I now research my handguns as thoroughly as I can before a purchase. The net was full of negatives on that Mosquito! Unfortunately, the same is true of Taurus and has been for some time now.

In the end I think it comes to a crap shoot. NO manufacturer makes a perfect gun, so brand name guns are not ALL troublefree. So let's just say that the odds on getting a lemon Taurus may be higher than a comparable S@W. But Taurus would not stay in business, nor have so many supporters, if the MAJORITY of their products did not indeed fill a cost niche in the market place with resulting "happy" customers. How long they will stay happy is another issue.
Eli

Taurus vs. ruger

I purchased a Taurus tracker .44 a week ago, never been fired. I sent the handgun in for repairs today. The hammer was rubbing on the frame (small groove) and the grip had 8 tears between the ribs under trigger guard. Minor repairs but still upset, I have .22 tracker on the same frame and it has been an excellent handgun (a tack driver).

The Taurus quality difference is visible compared to my Ruger Redhawk I purchased 14 years ago. My Ruger has been fired thousands of times and the cylinder was tighter than my Taurus out of the box. Lemons come in a variety of boxes.

When I got my Redhawk (brand new) it would only fire 2 out of 6 rounds. I tried several brands with little improvement. I was ticked off at all the money I wasted on my reloads and factory ammo. Ruger was very little help and blamed it on the ammo, but after closer examination I figured out the problem. There was too much meat on the hammer causing the transfer bar to not engage the firing pin deep enough into the primer. A few swipes with a file on the hammer and it has been golden ever since, but it was frustrating and I had to fix it myself.

I called Taurus and got through right away and told me to send it in. The very next day a fedex guy showed up with a prepaid, next day pickup and I paid nothing. Their quality is definitely less but their support is much better. I knew when I purchased the Tracker it was not a Ruger and the price is $300 less on the current market. ( needed something for packing and the Ruger is too heavy on the hip)

I had to send a Smith in for repairs because it was misfiring and it came back still misfiring, so we took drive to the gun-show. (I told the guy when I traded it).

I too have the .44 Mag. Tracker.Bought it out of a local pawn shop.Like new.
$369 drive out.I've probably put 500 or so rounds through it.I'm not real
accurate with it,due to it's kick,but that's the flavor of a .44 Magnum.Don't get me wrong,
at 7 yards,the B/G is in a world of hurt.I even carried
it a time or two,but it's just a tad too big for that choosing.Sorry,No
lemon here.

Too bad they locked the thread... This is a terrible situation, though...

My best friend bought a Taurus for CCW, went to the range and it seemed to function ok. However, two weeks later on December 31 he was walking down the street when a criminal pulled a knife on him to rob him. He pulled out the revolver, only to have the revolver lock up on him. He got into a fight with the criminal, managed to disarm him, but in the struggle in the ground the criminal grabbed the revolver and hit my friend in the skull twice with it, cracking his skull. My friend had to have surgery to repair the damage.

I'd post the pictures here of him at the hospital, but am afraid they would be too graphic for this website.

Above is my optimistic, before shipping, give Taurus a chance post, but now you can read my "Taurus changed my mind post". Thanks shipwreck for posting the link. I used to read the Taurus complaints as just accidental defects but after going through their whole process they honestly don't give a rats about what leaves their factory or repair department.

The thing I can't figure out is why some of these big wig media give them good reviews. Should they not be investigated for all the complaints they get?

depends on the model

Originally Posted by donj931

i have owned 2 compact taurus pistols,pt 140 pro and a 740 slim,i have put over 300 through my pt 140 with different brands no failures,less than 100 in the slim different brands no failures,i have a friend with a 24/7 .40 cal with over 500 down the pipe with no problems,quality control mabye?some are made well

As Shipwreck said... "it's a roll of the dice"
I called 6 different gunshops and got mixed views. Dizzying.

I think I'll stay away. The only gun that is ok would be the 1911, only Taurus doen't make a compact.
Winter time the full size 1911's are fine but not warm weather. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Eff Taurus, i love my SIG!

I wouldn't ever spend my hard earned money on a Taurus. I am a huge GLOCK and SIG fan. I don't understand why they would still produce them in the mass that they do when they know most of their customers aren't happy with it and they have so many various issues. I noticed other guns will have some type of malfunction with it but then next model that is produced the manufacture fixes it, NOT TAURUS!

I just bought a Sig P250 and this is my all time favorite hand gun EVER. Out of the box it was surprisingly accurate, and after hundreds of rounds going through it not one issue.

So in the end i will never own another Taurus, nor will I allow my friends to own one! A real friend doesn't let a friend own a Taurus!!

I have a pt 99 shoots very good never had a miss fire functions fine it shoots just as well as my friends beretta 92 if you think the fit and finish will be the same on a taurus as a beretta no but for the price differnce I am very happy with my taurus a lot of people who complain about taurus is here say never owned one.

I shot my new-to-me PT-92AF at the range this weekend. Two boxes of Silver Bear and Brown Bear 9mm loads with only a few FTF's at the beginning when I wasn't holding tight enough. All the rest of the clips shot fun with no failures of any sort. On the sad side, my "brand new" Beretta 84 wood grips both spit out the medallions within 3 shots the very first time I shot the gun after installing the new grips.

Yes, at one time, a LOOONG time ago, Berettas were made there. But after all these years, and the multiple times Beretta has upgraded and retooled - do you really think it's the same equipment anymore? Beretta has also redesigned the locking block several times, and improved their CNC technology...

Here is a quote from the Taurus website:

When the contract ran out in 1980, Beretta sold the plant, literally "lock, stock and barrel," to Taurus. Taurus now owned everything that once belonged to Beretta, including drawings, tooling, machinery, and a very experienced work force. Taurus was in the pistol business, and immediately sought to improve on the Beretta design, resulting in the popular and acclaimed Taurus PT-92 and PT-99 9mm pistols.

EVERYONE knows how Taurus started making their version of the 92. However, I would venture to say that there was no CNC equipment in 1980 - at least nothing like their is today. Has Taurus upgraded? Probably. I doubt they are using the same equipment. Now, admittedly, the 92 is probably Taurus's best design. It's also not really their original design. And, the quality of the Taurus 92s I have seen are spotty - all over the map> Some good, some not so good. And, go read the links above and you will see the FANTASTIC (said sarcastically) level of customer service they give ya.